The significance of the question of motivation
Nathan Brown
Master of Arts (Research) student
Avondale College of Higher Education
Before Kevin Rudd disappears into obscurity, it’s worth remembering what may have been his most significant achievement as Australia’s foreign minister.
Last year, under Rudd’s leadership, the Department of Foreign Affairs reviewed overseas aid for development and poverty alleviation. Australia has now become a leader in moving toward dedicating 0.5 per cent of its gross national income to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. More important: the profound change in rationale. Instead of furthering Australia’s national interests, “the fundamental purpose of Australian aid”—the new policy reads—“is to help people in developing countries overcome poverty.”
This policy may not look radically different from the previous policy but the question of motivation is significant. An apparently identical act or idea is rendered profoundly different by its why.
The Bible says we should do some things simply because they are the right things to do. As Jesus said, part of living humbly as His disciples is to be “hungry and thirsty for justice” (Matthew 5:6, NLT), to seek goodness in all its forms, including working for more goodness in the world beyond ourselves as agents of God’s kingdom here and now. In theory, it’s straightforward. In practice, it’s more complicated—our motivations get so muddled and muddied.
So, let’s applaud anything that moves our national, corporate and individual actions beyond self-interest. Whether this new policy changes priorities or survives the loss of its political champion remains to be seen, but we can be encouraged by this impulse.
We should also consider our motivations. We might find ourselves doing some things differently and other things similarly but with radically different motives. That will be good for us, as well as for those—and for Him—we seek to serve.
Tags: Nathan Brown